This invention relates to an IC card with a radio interface function, which is formed of a small IC card such as an SD (Secure Digital) card, an antenna module used for this IC card, and a data processing apparatus using the IC card.
Recent portable personal computers or various types of data processing apparatuses have a function for using an IC card (PC card) based on the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association). The PC card is used not only as a data storing medium, but also as an extension device for expanding the peripheral functions of a host apparatus. For example, the PC card is used as a modem, a network card, a hard disk, etc.
In addition to the PC card based on the PCMCIA, smaller IC cards are now being used. The IC cards of this type include, for example, an SD (Secure Digital) memory card provided with an electrically programmable flash memory, in which once stored data does not disappear even when the power is turned off.
As described above, PC cards based on the PCMCIA are being used as expansion devices for adding various peripheral functions that include a communication function. On the other hand, it is difficult to use SD memory cards, smaller than the PC cards, for adding a function, since data for realizing the function is hard to store therein. In particular, there is no conventional SD memory card of a small size that installs a radio interface function.